IN MEMORY OF OUR BELOVED FAMILY MEMBER SYDNEY A PUG

I would like to let everyone know about the love, loss and sorrow of Sydney,  Bev and Ron's (my anut and uncle)  beloved pug who passed away New Year's Day at the age of 12, and just shy of 13 years old.  Sydney passed away from congestive heart failure.

It is a painful time for all who knew Sydney and her gentle and funny spirit.  Sydney had been sick for awhile and the night before Sydney passed away she was acting somewhat peculiar.  She was having trouble breathing and could not sit or lie down so she stood for almost 24 hours.  Bev told me that Sydney passed in their arms as they weeped as she took her last breathe.  As anyone who has loved their pet so intensely can understand that this is a very emotional time for Ron and Bev as they process the loss of their beloved Sydney.  To Ron and Bev, Sydney was not just a pet, she was a baby, a family member and she will be missed as one.  They just adored her and gave her all the heart and soul they could.

I want to share the things I remember about Sydney and how she touched my life as well as others who had the joy of interacting with her.

To me Sydney was a extremely lovable and gentle soul.  She was a beautiful companion dog.  When I would go over to Ron and Bev's house or to visit my Gram, Sydney would sense that I was there and she would come barreling down the stairs to see me.  She seemed to really like me and I felt an honor to have captured her heart.  Sydney had a little snort as most pugs do and she would also grunt while she got excited jumping up onto my leg to greet me. Sydney had away about her that made her so lovable and I would so enjoy to be in her presence.  When Sydney would open her mouth to breathe she had a smile that went from ear to ear.  I was always certain that she was smiling at me!  My Gram would enjoy it when Sydney would some down to see her during the day.  She would keep her company.  She was a friend.

I don't have any animals, however, I can surely tell you that the love for this special pug was immense.  She was not just a pet to everyone.  She had a human nature that would rival any dog I have ever known.  When she was with you, you felt like she was just a bundle of love.  When she would lie in Grams TV room, she would rest her head on the curved bottom of the rocking chair and go to sleep there.  This was Sydney's funny way.

In her last years, Sydney lost her hearing and she could not see very well, but she seemed to always know who was there with her.  I am going to miss Sydney and my heart goes out to all who are grieving over the loss of her.  I will miss her her snorting, grunting and the excitement she evoked in me when I saw her.  Since my Mom passed way in May, I can only think that Sydney and my Mom will cross paths on another plane and they will feel the same joy that they have given to us all these years and they will be at peace.

Time to say goodbye...
We will miss you Syd!

Loren

HOW I CAME UP WITH AN IDEA FOR A NEW CHRISTMAS CARD DESIGN?

It's official!  The new 2011 Annual Family/Friend Christmas Card has arrived at everyone's home!

I want to share some info about this card design and how it came about.   People often ask me how do I come up with my ideas?   I thought that I would like to give you a step by step, inside look at how I think up all my zany and kooky concepts?  I'd like to let you in on my little secret to see if you can also come up with your own ideas.   Let's go...

I had been getting a little worried because Christmas was quickly approaching and I had no idea in sight!  I've been feeling low since my Mom passed away in May, as I have mentioned and I began to think that it was just not going to happen. I wasn't up for the challenge.   I thought of ideas that were just not going to meet the expectations of the family/friend card getters. The pressure is always on!   I had all kinds of ideas that did not seem like viable options and I was seriously getting worried that possibly I was not going to get one done this year.  "Not get one done" I thought as I was mulling over my meager and sorry ideas.  "I have to get one done this year.  I do it every year".  Some years my designs have been better than others and I was beginning to think that this year it was going to be the 'others year'.  Well anyway, I sketched out this little drawing on a torn envelope one day and I thought , "Hmmm, I can create one of a Christmas tree that moves.  I'll attach it to jump rings (tiny little jewelry rings) and it will move.  Okay, now I'm making progress." Unfortunate as it was however,  I did not have a clear concept in my mind. "How was I going to link up the moving tree to a concept without an expression?" Each day passed and I did not know how I was going to tie in the moving tree with a sentiment. I had used 'Oh, Christmas tree, Oh, Christmas tree' two years ago , so I was still having a serious issue with the sentiment.   I was also anticipating the time factor. How long was it going to take me to make each one of these cards if I did not come up with a fully fleshed out idea and soon?   So, I mulled and I pondered and I searched my brain for a 'hook', a 'link' or a 'connection' but nothing was coming to fruition. What was I going to do?  Pressure, still on. "There will be no card design this year",  is what I began telling myself.  I had no other ideas in my pocket to pull out at the last minute to create the Annual 2011 Family/Friend Christmas Card Design.  I was disappointed and I had resigned myself , that there would be no card done this year and I went on living my day.

One day, about three weeks ago, in the evening, I was driving home from A.C.Moore after a couple hours there (love this store) and for one day I was unusually feeling on top of the world. "Why?", you might ask. Well, I did not know but I was certainly feeling awfully joyful.  At the same time.  I began to also think about my sentiment for my Christmas tree design. I was toying with the idea in my mind. It was not a stressful type of thought, but an inner calmness that came over me as the idea slipped right out of my head.  I was pulling up to a traffic light and it was as if I had known the idea all along and it innocently lit up in my mind. Bingo!!   The light bulb had gone off. 'Rockin' around the Christmas tree' popped right into my head.   Could there be a better sentiment/expression?  "I will make the tree 'rock" is what I thought as I continued my drive home.  And the rest they say is "history"!

I  wanted to tell this story to illustrate how you don't have to be a genius to come up with a great idea.  You just have to think about it when you are relaxed.  When you force an idea to come about , it does not allow for the mind to actively search through the enormous vault of thoughts, images, memories, etc..  As I have expressed above, I was demanding ideas to come out of my mind that I was not opening up to let the connections happen, smoothly and naturally.  It was when I was calm and also joyful, that I really made progress. I might also note that it was as if I was getting in my own way.  I said above,  "Let's go..." so just  'let go' and ideas will happen.

On Monday evening, my brother called me to tell me he received the card and it was 'the bomb'!   He said it made him feel so happy and it was awesome.  Can you get any better than that?